Her Only Son by Shawna Platt Page B

honest, neither did I. There’s more than meets the eye with that man.”
    Tessa shot her a look. “You have no idea, Kinsey. He hasn’t bothered you since then has he?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, have you experienced anything out of the ordinary since that night?”
    Kinsey thought of her nightly intruder and decided to trust Tessa. If she wanted Tessa to trust her with information, she’d have to do the same. “Yes, actually I have.”
    Tessa’s eyes came alive and she leaned forward. “What happened?”
    “The first night I was here, someone came into my room and stood over me while I was sleeping.”
    “Did they do anything to you? I mean, physically?”
    “No, just stood there, but when they left…” Kinsey paused.
    “When they left…what? You can tell me, Kinsey.”
    “Okay, hold on. I have something to show you.” Kinsey went inside and returned with the photo of her sister. She handed it to Tessa. “This was left on my nightstand.”
    Tessa took the picture and studied it. A look of horror shadowed across her face. She looked up at Kinsey. “Who is this?”
    “My sister.”
    Tessa’s eyes widened. “Your sister?” She looked back down at the photo. “What happened to her?”
    Kinsey leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. “This was my warning. More to come if I didn’t participate in the program.”
    Tessa became angry and put the photo on the table. “You, too, huh?”
    “Yeah, I had a feeling you were here against your will.”
    “I believe most of us are. You can see it in the eyes of the women here. It’s not voluntary. Although, some are here truly for the money and didn’t fight the process.”
    “That was my feeling, too. I was threatened that my parents would be next if I didn’t get on a plane Monday morning.”
    “No one got hurt on my end, but the threat was there. I was sent pictures of my parents and little brother out enjoying their daily lives.” Tessa paused. “The threat was there, if you know what I mean?”
    “Yes, I understand.”
    “Since you trusted me with this,” she pointed to the photo, “I’ll trust you with something.”
    “Please. I want to know everything I can about this place.”
    Tessa adjusted in her seat and blew out a breath. “The night before I was suppose to have my procedure done, Hakon paid me a visit as well.”
    “You think it was Hakon that came into my room?”
    “Who else would leave you a photo like that, Kinsey? Hakon is behind all of this. He’s in charge of this compound.”
    Kinsey felt a shiver run down her spine. She never thought of Hakon being her intruder, just one of his minions.
    “Is he always here? On the compound, I mean?”
    Tessa nodded. “Not in our living quarters, but his main office is here, yes. This is his domain and his word is final.”
    “Does he live here?”
    “Are you kidding? He has an estate a few miles away, but this is where he works.”
    “Okay. So, Hakon paid you a visit?”
    Tessa leaned against the chair, stretching her back. “Yes, he did, but I wasn’t left with a picture on my nightstand.” Tessa gave her a look.
    Kinsey tried to process the look on Tessa’s face and suddenly understood. “No! Tessa, he didn’t?” She leaned forward and whispered. “Did he rape you?”
    Tessa simply nodded. The details of her attack that night started coming back, but she pushed them aside.
    “Holy shit, Tess!” Kinsey sat back, knowing there was nothing Tessa could have done. “What did he threaten you with?”
    “You name it. My parents, my brother, my future as a vet.” She leaned forward and whispered again. “He has the power to take away so much, Kinsey, and he knows it. There’s nothing we can do.”
    “There has to be a way to stop him.”
    Tessa laughed. “I hope with everything in me you’re right, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon.”
    A thought occurred to Kinsey. “You said he raped you the night before your procedure.”
    Tessa